This project leverages open source water quality and tributary discharge data available from the USGS and the National Center for Water Quality Research at Heidelberg University to provide a web application that helps tell the story of phosphorus-fueled eutrophication in Lake Erie. Users can explore the flow of phosphorus in the Lake Erie watershed since the 1970s with more than 55,000 observations embedded in the visualization. We aim to inspire a common goal of increased phosphorus use efficiency among food producers and water users by highlighting that the phosphorus flowing to Lake Erie embodies lost potential corn harvests and fertilizer investments.

The overarching goal of ‘A Resource Out of Place’ is to provide visualizations based on USGS and Heidelberg University monitoring data that inform individuals and communities about phosphorus runoff to Lake Erie and inspire multiple stakeholders to strive toward both better resource management and improved environmental quality.

The 5 primary functions of this interactive visualization and companion video are:

Use of the Lake Erie story to inspire meaningful steps toward reducing eutrophication. The massive cyanobacteria blooms in Lake Erie in recent years have brought widespread attention to phosphorus-fueled eutrophication. In our introductory video, we highlight historical and recent events in Lake Erie and its basin, the important connection to phosphorus, and why phosphorus is a resource out of place.

Visualization of daily total phosphorus loadings calculated using same-day measurements of discharge and total phosphorus concentration available from the USGS and the National Center for Water Quality Research at Heidelberg University. The website user can explore more than 55,000 unique total phosphorus load data points based on open source data collected between 1970 and 2015. This seamlessly communicates both the spatial and temporal dimensions of phosphorus flow in the watershed. Furthermore, it provides a fascinating case study in the evolution of the monitoring program in the basin of one of the United States’ most well-known and troubled water bodies.

Provision of enhanced detail for stations within three watersheds of the wider Lake Erie basin where near-continuous daily datasets were available from Heidelberg University. Website users can examine stations during 2005-2014 in the Maumee, Sandusky, and Cuyahoga watersheds. The ability to scroll through time in these sections illuminates the growth of cumulative wasted phosphorus passing by each station over time.

Integration of spatial data from the USGS 2002 SPARROW model for phosphorus loading from different sources. This enables the user to explore the different ways in which phosphorus is lost from the landscape to waterbodies. It also helps focus attention on what sectors should be prioritized in efforts to enhance phosphorus efficiency across the basin.

Novel emphasis on phosphorus as a resource out of place. Too often phosphorus is described as a “pollutant” or “contaminant”. While excess nutrients can wreak havoc in receiving waters, let us remember that these same nutrients are essential resources for all life on Earth, including us. One deep-rooted challenge inherent to the eutrophication predicament is navigating the interests of both food producers and water users. Our hope is that our visualization can help stimulate a sense of common purpose by connecting lost phosphorus to potential “corn-equivalents” and “fertilizer dollar-equivalents” flowing down tributaries.

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Additional Visualization Notes

Total Phosphorus Load

The mean annual phosphorus load leaving each stream reach, as predicted by the USGS 2002 SPARROW model. The load reflects the accumulated mass of phosphorus contributed by sources in the total drainage area upstream of the reach outlet. The load includes the effects of in-stream attenuation processes in all upstream reaches.

Phosphorus Corn-equivalents Wasted

The mean annual load of phosphorus corn-equivalents leaving each stream reach. This value represents the amount of corn that theoretically could have been harvested containing the Total Phosphorus Load predicted by the USGS 2002 SPARROW model.

Phosphorus Fertilizer Dollar-equivalents Wasted

The mean annual load of phosphorus fertilizer dollar-equivalents leaving each stream reach. This value represents the theoretical economic value of the Total Phosphorus Load predicted by the USGS 2002 SPARROW model in terms of fertilizer.

The phosphorus content of corn was estimated based on the USDA Crop Nutrient Tool (http://plants.usda.gov/npk/main)

The Price of P Fertilizer (for each year) was estimated based on data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA (P price derived from DAP price, assuming that DAP is 46% phosphate and that phosphate is 43.64% P).

For the USGS 2002 SPARROW data layers (Robertson and Saad 2011) shown in the interactive visualization as shades of blue:

Total Phosphorus Load (kg P per yr)

The mean annual phosphorus load leaving each stream reach, as predicted by the USGS 2002 SPARROW model. The load reflects the accumulated mass of phosphorus contributed by all sources in the total drainage area upstream of the reach outlet. The load includes the effects of in-stream attenuation processes in all upstream reaches. Loads from individual sources leaving each stream reach estimated by the USGS 2002 SPARROW model are also viewable.

Phosphorus Corn-equivalents Wasted (bushels of corn per yr)

The mean annual load of phosphorus corn-equivalents leaving each stream reach. This value represents the amount of corn that theoretically could have been harvested containing the Total Phosphorus Load. We calculated these values using the 2002 SPARROW model output and the conversions shown above.

Phosphorus Fertilizer Dollar-equivalents Wasted (2002 USD per yr)

The mean annual load of phosphorus fertilizer dollar-equivalents leaving each stream reach. This value represents the theoretical economic value of the Total Phosphorus Load in terms of fertilizer. We calculated these values using the 2002 SPARROW model output and the conversions shown above.

For near-continuous daily datasets of Flow and Total Phosphorus concentration data for the Maumee, Sandusky, and Cuyahoga watersheds, missing data points were estimated using linear interpolation.

In the video, we state the following: “Each year, the amount of phosphorus entering the lake and contributing to toxic cyanobacteria blooms could have instead been harvested in around 100 million of bushels of corn. This lost phosphorus is also equivalent to commercial fertilizer worth approximately 10-30 million dollars per year.” These estimates were determined as follows: We examined recent (2000-2011) variability in annual total phosphorus loading to Lake Erie as estimated in the 2013 Ohio Lake Erie Phosphorus Task Force II Final Report. The values ranged from around 5,000 Mg P per year to around 11,000 Mg P per year. Total P loads were converted to corn-equivalents and fertilizer equivalents using the conversions shown above for each year. The results presented in the video are not exact, but represent the typical approximate magnitude of each resource equivalent embodied in P lost to Lake Erie.

The Percent Frequency of Detectable Cyanobacteria images shown in the video are from Wynne and Stumpf (2015).

Information on the most recent algal blooms presented in the first few sections of the video are from Wines (2013) and Fitzsimmons (2014).

Additional information in the video on Lake Erie trends is from Conroy et al. (2005) and the Ohio Lake Erie Phosphorus Task Force II Final Report (2013). More information on "legacy phosphorus" can be found in Sharpley et al. (2013).

Here, data from the USGS and Heidelberg University are visualized. More Lake Erie basin data are available from other organizations. The following 17 organizations have engaged in water quality monitoring in the region (Betanzo et al. 2015):

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Geological Survey, National Water Information System

Indiana Department of Environmental Management

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District

Saint Joseph River Watershed Initiative

U.S. National Park Service

Hoosier Riverwatch

U.S. Department of Energy

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (Dr. Nathan Bosch)

New York Department of Environmental Conservation

Heidelberg University, National Center for Water Quality Research

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Estuarine Research Reserve System

Robertson, Dale M. and David A. Saad, 2011. Nutrient Inputs to the Laurentian Great Lakes by Source and Watershed Estimated Using SPARROW Watershed Models. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 47(5):1011-1033.